Fireproof building block or slab.



No. 753,707. PATENTED MAR. 1, 1904. R. ILLEMANN. IIREPRO0I- BUILDINGBLOCK 0R SLAB.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 1, 1903.

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PATENTBD MAR. 1., 1904.

R. ILLEMANN. FIREPROOF BUILDING BLOCK 0R SLAB.

APPLIOATIUN FILED JUNE 1, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

H0 .MODEL UNITED. STATES- Patented.l March 1, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT ILLEMANN, OE LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGN OR TO FREDERICK MALCOLMHURDIS JONES, OF KENTISH TOWN, COUNTY OF LONDON,

ENGLAND.

FIREPRooF BUILDING BLoCK on SLAB.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 753,70'7dated March 1,1904.

Application iled J' une 1, 1903. Serial No. 159,703. (N o model.)

To all whom it may concern: y

Be it known that I, ROBERT ILLEMANN, a citizen of the United States,residing at 371 Euston road, London, England, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Fireproof Building Blocks or Slabs for Walls,Ceilings, Partitions, and the Like; and Ido hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswil-l enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to makeand use the same.

Blocks or slabs to be used for the purpose of building walls,partitions, ceilings, and the like have been made inthe form ofrectangular blocks or slabs of sulicient thickness arranged in rowsedgewisev above one another vertically,` so as to form4 a surface of anydesired size, grooves semicircular inplan being made intheverticalfedges of each slab, sothat when tted together they'formvertical cylindrical holes into which suitable liquid cement is'pou'red.The slabs are arranged 'so that their vertical edges break joint witheach other, and a cylindrical vertical' hole is also made throughthefcenter of each slab, so that when the slabs are arranged to breakjoint as described the cylindrical hole through the center of each slabcomes directly above the holes formed by the semicircular grooves in theends of the adjoining slabs above and below, continuous holes being thusformed from top to bottom of the wall or other surface. Through some ofthese'holes bolts are passed. The slabs have also been formed with acentral groove along one Vof their horizontal edges and a correspondingrib along the other horizontal edge. This method of construction andarrangement, however, has some disadvantages, especially in the slabsnot being suiflciently strongly held together transversely, while theplain columns of cement in the vertical holes are insufficient to firmlyhold the several courses ot' the slabs together vertically, and mypresent invention has .for its object to provide reproof slabs forwalls,

partitions, ceilings, andthe like, by means movably iixed and locked inevery direction. The accompanying drawings are in illustration of myinvention.

Figure l is a side'view of a slab used in` building a wall. Fig. 2 is aVview of the same from above, and Eig. 3 an end view. Fig.I t

` the slab. y

The blocks are formed of any suitable `material or composition-such, forinstance, as

plaster-of-paris-capable of setting into'a perL fectly hard state whendry, which is poured, in a more or less liquid state, into molds, fromwhich when dry and set hard the slabs or blocks are removed ready foruse.

I manufacture each block, as shown in the `figures, rectangular 1inshape uponits front and back faces a and and of suitable thick- .nessanddimensions,y and upon its upperv l'ongitudinal edge I formprojections 'cc c, extending through haliI the thickness of the slabfrom the front and back, respectively, and

vprojectingvertically upward for a jsuiiicient height. Two of theseprojections are formed above the front face of the slab, each projecjtion being about one-quarter of the length of the slab and leaving acentral space of the same length between their ends, so that their outerends are Veach one-eighthvof the length of the slab from the ends of thelatter. Similar projections (see c- 0 c) are made at the j top of theback face of the slab and they alternate with those at th'e front, sothat there is one at the center having a vacant space of equal length ateach end ,and a projection at veach end of the slab equal to haltl thelength of the central projection, or one-eighth ofthe entire length ofthe slab.

The lower edge of the slab isprovided with downward projections similarto those above, but also arranged alternately and so that eachprojection is directly below a corresponding vacant space between theprojections in the upper edge. By the method of construction describedwhen the several slabs are tted together one above the other upon theiredges the projection c below the upper slab iits into the spaces betweenthe projections c above the lower slab upon both edges, and as theprojections and spaces upon those at one edge alternate with and areopposite to those upon the other edge all the slabs are securely andimmovably interlocked together, so that they cannot move from each othereither transversely or longitudinally, and a solid flat wall or surfaceis obtained alike upon both sides. The at wall or surface so obtainedmay be of any desired dimensions, and obviously it may not only be usedin a vertical position to form Walls or partitions, but horizontally forceilings or the like or in any desired inclined position.

At each vertical edge of the slab I make a central vertical recess d, sothat when the ends of two slabs adjoin each other the two recesses formavertical hole, and I also make vertical holes CZ through the center ofeach projection and each intermediate vacant space. All these verticalholes, both in the body of the slabs and at their edges from top tobottom of the wall, are then iilled with liquid cement, which when sethard makes the entire wall practically a solid block.

I do not make the central vertical holes through the slabs and at theirends plain or simply cylindrical on their inner surface, but I form themwith one or more helical recesses forming a hollow screw or-screws e,into which the liquid cement is poured, so that when it is set hard itforms a solid screw fitting accurately into (so as practically to form apart of) the helical recesses or screw-threads in the holes through theslabs and at their ends, and the strength of the entire mass is in thisway greatly increased.

Instead of running vertically through the slabs the holes with interiorhelical recesses may be made more or less diagonal. Any

number of helical recesses may be made and of any desired pitch andshape in section, and instead of forming parallel screw-threads thelatter may be of greater diameter at one end than at the other end, soas to form hollow spiral helices. p

In front view as well as in end view the ends oi'. the projections aboveand below are made somewhat beveled or inclined, as shown, to facilitatetheir fitting together, and the de tails and, proportions of the slabsmay be varied more or less--for instance, a larger number than shown ofthe projections above and below may be used and the diameter of theholes and the size of the helical recesses in them may be varied.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,isY i l. A building block or slab having one or more openings passingtherethrough from the top to the bottom, said openings being made in theform of helical grooves or recesses, substantially as described.

2. A building block or vslab having its top and bottom edges providedwith projections at its iront and back arranged alternately in relationto each other so that 4the projections on the front edge are oppositethe spaces on the back edge, the projections and spaces beingapproximately of the same size and shape so that they may fitfreely intoeach other, said block or slab being also provided with one or moreopenings passing therethrough from the top to the bottom made in theform of helical grooves or recesses, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I ax my signature in

